


Locking Horns - DA: Inquisition (Adaar/Iron Bull)

by Aneth_Stripes



Series: Dragon Age - Fractured Timelines [8]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Action/Adventure, BDSM, Distrust, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, Qunari, Romance, Sexual Tension, Sparring, Tal-Vashoth, Team as Family, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26978686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aneth_Stripes/pseuds/Aneth_Stripes
Summary: She never trusted him and it's clear he doesn't trust her either. But could that change?-I liked the idea of recreating what happens between Eleanor Adaar and the Iron Bull since Adaar isn't an Inquisitor in this timeline. This takes place a little after everyone ventures into Skyhold and involves Adaar's fictional mercenary branch made of other "Inquisitors" from the Valo-Kas called the Taam Kas (Greataxe).I hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Female Adaar/The Iron Bull (Dragon Age)
Series: Dragon Age - Fractured Timelines [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917967
Kudos: 13





	1. To Have the Gall

Herald’s Rest was a comfy place to hide in after a day or more’s worth of fighting and dealing with politics. It was put together shortly after they arrived at Skyhold and soon became a place of leisure and relaxation for her and some of her crew. Rarely did the Inquisitor enter the humble tavern lest she was checking on those she considered friends. Adaar was grateful for this; she did not see Trevelyan taking the remarks of her friends and companions well. 

The Qunari took a deep breath and sipped on ale, smiling softly as she watched her crew harass Sera. Perhaps “harass” was too strong; it seemed like she was having a grand time making two of her crewmates cringe in disgust. Maker knew where the other three ran off to. 

The Inquisitor had been kind enough to keep them. She was surrounded by forces to be reckoned with, and yet she allowed Adaar and the Taam-Kas to stay under her wing. Damn, but was Adaar grateful for this!

Shit was getting worse out there, and aside from being best friends with Aneth Trevelyan, Eleanor wasn’t sure where they would go to wait out the shitstorm and make the cash needed. It was a double win for Adaar; she could keep her friend _and_ a roof over her head, no matter how unstable and temporary it might have been. 

Of course, the Inquisitor and the Taam-Kas were not the only reasons she stuck around for so long. She was becoming accustomed to those who flocked around Aneth, and through her had met people whom she trusted her life with. 

All except one.

The Iron Bull, the first qunari she knew to follow the Qun, kept her within an arm’s reach. Not that she minded; she wasn’t aiming to go looking for trouble, especially after getting wind that he actively killed those like her. 

She was wary of his presence, always aware of his large frame around one corner or another. The Iron Bull looked battle-worn, far more than Adaar could ever hope or want to be. So long as she didn’t bother the Ben-Hassrath and he left her be, there would be no issue.

Eleanor exhaled and took another gulp of her ale, quirking an eyebrow at Sera and Adhal Lavellan, both who were hanging over the edge of the railing upside down, relying on their legs hanging over the rail to keep them up. Despite her initial distaste with elves, the rogue enjoyed the company of Adhal and his sibling Ghilas, who was shaking their head at their stupidity. 

Caught between telling them to act their age and not-so-innocently egging them on, Adaar left her team and Sera be. Besides, it seemed like something else was pulling her attention. The Vashoth tilted her head, not quite turning it as she caught wind of the mention of mercenaries. 

“They make a living out of lies and cold-blooded murder.”

“No doubt they’re here only for the money; I bet they would leave the Inquisitor high and dry.” 

Two soldiers sat nearby, scowling to themselves. “They’re not to be trusted, that’s what.” 

Her jaw almost clinched before she shook her head, reminding herself that she didn’t have to stoop low to horrible accusations. If she knew anything about the Inquisitor, it was that the Trevelyan mage knew Adaar better than to assume they would just leave her to the wastes. The Iron Bull and his Chargers, however? That was another story entirely. She knew little of their intent in the Inquisition, and a part of her was worried about his intentions, though she'd never address them in fear of bringing attention to both her blood and blade family.

The two continued to chatter and Adaar found that she’d had her fill, finishing her drink and sitting up to leave. The sun had just set, more than likely leaving a cold atmosphere in its slumber; it was her favorite time of day and she rarely missed it. She passed them, ignoring how one of them practically spat, _“Ox-man.”_

Eleanor didn’t pause or give attention to either of them, deciding on wandering outside to catch a glimpse of the sky’s deep hues before calling it a night. Nodding to part of her crew on her way out, Eleanor stepped out of the tavern and took a deep breath of the cold, fresh air around her. 

The cool wind helped to calm her thoughts and the opinions of others. She knew what and who she was, and no one could convince her otherwise. No, it wasn’t so much of what they thought of her, but her crew. At first, there were murmurs about the Iron Bull’s crew, but soon after she heard whispers about her family. It was hard to ignore them, hard not to start a bar fight.

Adaar and her crew were better than they were and knew their place in the world, as uncertain and chaotic as it was.

Some were turning in for the night while others were wandering toward Herald’s Rest looking for a drink or meal. She stepped to the side, deciding to call it an early night since the Taam-Kas left in the morning. While the Inquisitor did everything she could to help those in need, Eleanor knew she could not reach every stretch, and with permission, took a few of those missions herself. 

It gave her hope, more than anything. Money, purpose; sure, they were important, but they would mean nothing if everyone was dead. 

Eleanor had planned on turning in for the night, but her hands were itching to hit something. She wasn’t as relaxed as she first thought.

Fuck it. The Vashoth turned around and walked to the training grounds, grabbing one of the wooden poles leaning against the wall to keep from tearing apart the training dummies. Her eyebrows lowered as she concentrated on her still opponent, swinging down upside its head. The dummy shook violently but the head stayed. 

She swung again, grunting in satisfaction as it shook harder, aiming at different places to keep from tearing the dummy apart but swinging with enough force to put the negative energy inside of her to good usage. 

The faint but growing sound of chatter pulled her from her thoughts and stilled her movements, and she turned to see the Bull’s Chargers appearing from up the stairs. They were bloodied and in need of a washing, but they looked happy amongst themselves. She couldn’t help but smile as she fondly thought of her hyperactive team.

It was wise, grinding for funds while they all waited with bated breath to see what Trevelyan might do next.

Eleanor turned around to focus on the dummy and leave the team be, hitting repeatedly as she practiced her stance. Her wrists flickered and she couldn’t keep from swinging any softer, taking the dummy’s head clean off. 

_Oops_

The Qunari sighed and rested the large piece of wood against the backs of her shoulders, looking at her mess with a slight grimace. Cassandra was not going to like her for that; this was the strongest dummy they had!

“Adaar, was it?” 

“Maker!” Eleanor jumped and turned around, nimble weapon firmly in her hands as she stared at the Iron Bull warily, and then in exasperation. _‘Taashath,’_ she inwardly reminded her foolish mind. She needed to calm down; if he wanted to kill her then she was sure he’d done so already. 

While the Vashoth couldn’t say she didn’t see this coming, it made her nervous all the same. The Iron Bull’s build was massive and he was a foot taller than her with large horns that may have skewered an enemy more than a few times. He was, in short, terrifying, but Maker knew she wasn’t about to speak that out loud.

His lips quirked in amusement as he watched her. “A jumpy one. Didn’t mean to scare you.” He tilted his head and glanced at the injured dummy before wincing a little. “I doubt Cassandra will be happy with that.” 

“I’m aware,” she replied, frowning as she turned to look at the damned thing momentarily. It was frail, never meant to take on the full force of an angry qunari. “I’ll find a way to get her a better one. Anything I can help you with?”

“Yeah.” He walked around her, stepping into the training area and picking up a stick and shifting into a stance. “You looked like you needed a firmer partner than that dummy down there. Take a swing.” 

Was he trying to coax her into battling him? If so, why with sticks? Surely it was easier to take her out with actual blades. Unless...he was vying for information from her. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she grasped the stick with her other hand, pacing to the right before swinging. 

The Iron Bull turned and knocked her dull weapon back with his, though he didn’t try to hit back. Adaar aimed for a different area this time only to be met with his guard. The wooden sticks continued to slash gently, sounds of clunking impact filling the air alongside the gentle breeze. Eleanor wasn’t trying to actively hit him any more than he was attempting to hit back. 

It was a quiet exchange and no words were spoken, but Eleanor felt as if he were reading her the entire time. She wasn’t too stupid as to think it was him ogling her, though perhaps it was partially that due to the whispers she occasionally heard from servants and soldiers. He liked to fucked; she saw no problem with this, not to mention it wasn’t any of her business. 

No, this was different, but she didn’t know how exactly. 

To change up the pace, Eleanor lunged forward out of nowhere, barely putting pressure as she “stabbed” Iron Bull in the gut. He paused and smirked, recovering from the one-second shock that passed over his eyes. “You play with your enemies. Good. A false sense of security will set someone up for failure.” He then launched forward and jabbed her in the gut. 

The pressure caught her off guard and she stumbled back, recovering quickly, raising her mock sword to resist his. 

A grin spread across his scarred face, putting enough pressure to force her to back up. “Now we can have some fun.” The Qunari didn’t restrain his movements this time, aiming to hit her sides or chest. Eleanor reverted to defense to keep up, pulling out to launch an attack or two when she saw a good enough opening. 

His shoulder was tapped, and then her arm, followed by his wrist. Tap! Tap! Tap! The blows continued as they struck each other, now actively breaking a sweat as the real sparring continued. The sun had already set past the mountains, leaving dark reds and purples behind to illuminate their silhouettes as they danced around each other. 

Adaar ducked his attacks, shifting to avoid a side-swing and lunging for his stomach again. He drifted to the left, grabbing one of her horns to yank her back. Eleanor recovered quickly when he let go and tapped his hand, chuckling as he barely suppressed a wince and glared at her. “Oops.” 

The Iron Bull almost growled, stepping forward and attacking her more fervently. She kept up with his pace, jumping back to dodge an attack and swinging to force him to back up. Taking advantage of this, she rushed him and shoved her shoulder into his chest, shoving him further back with the intent to twist and hit his gut.

She wasn’t fast enough to stop the Iron Bull from clutching a bundle of her white side-swept hair, yanking her from her attack and forcing her gaze to meet his as he slid the stick between her left arm and her side, the wood tapping against her thigh and stilling her movement. 

“Dead.”

Eleanor took this moment to catch her breath, struggling not to glare at him as his fingers gripped her hair almost too tightly. He’d bested her, and she’d give him that, but was it necessary to pull her so close? 

“Good fight,” she muttered in response, nudging to imply she wanted to be let go. The Iron Bull released her locks, taking a step back as he inspected the wooden pole. It was cracked in multiple places and chipped in others. After glancing at her weapon, she found it was in the same amount of disarray. “Cassandra might have our heads for this.” 

“I won’t put it past her.” He raised the eyebrow over his eyepatch as he watched her wander over to the wall. “Where did you learn how to fight like that?” 

“My parents taught me,” she replied, placing the beaten wood down next to the others before turning to him. “You didn’t fight me just because I needed a partner. What do you want?” 

“I couldn’t figure you out,” the Iron Bull replied, crossing his arms. “The simple family life, a good rep with a Tal-Vashoth mercenary company, and now you help the Inquisition without an ulterior motive. Strange, but not rare. Still, I can’t figure out why you would stay.” 

“I stay because these people need all the help they can get.” She frowned and asked, “How do you know so much about me?” 

“I assumed,” he replied with a secret smile on his face. 

“Bullshit.” 

“You aren’t a complex individual, Adaar. I pegged you for a Tal-Vashoth at first, but the way you interact with everyone around you gives you away.”

Eleanor shrugged though her glare didn’t lessen. “I know you follow the Qun. If this is an attempt to convert me…”

“It’s not,” he replied, relaxing his posture and wandering back towards the steps that led up to the wall, waving for the Vashoth to follow. “I needed to see if you were a threat to the Inquisition, regardless of who you carry with you.”

“A threat? What kind of threat could a mercenary- wait, don’t answer that.” An easy hire for an assassination, or the slow poisoning of food and water supplies; anything small that could grow and cripple the Inquisition. Eleanor couldn’t imagine doing any of those things to a group aiming to save the world, even if the money was good. 

“You catch on fast.” 

“I was raised to keep up.” She hadn’t meant to tease so much as make a statement, but couldn’t help the smirk that crossed her face. The Iron Bull chuckled, walking up to the wall with no real urgency. She followed, paying attention to the darkening sky just as she watched his chiseled back. The two had paused once making it to the top, facing the frozen mountains ahead of them as a blanket of dark blue settled over the sky. 

The Iron Bull said nothing for a moment, glancing down at her before grunting. “I used to kill a lot of Tal-Vashoth. Came across a few like you, but it was brief, and they were put down. You weren’t the kind I hunted, but sometimes one got caught in the fight.” 

Eleanor nodded slowly, recalling the few times her Ba talked about how those from the Qun hunted down deserters, and how her parents worried that someone would come after them. She was never exposed to that life, only one of struggling identity and wild freedom to become what she wanted. “This doesn’t surprise me.” 

“Good.” His wide frame twisted as he turned to face her. “You’ve given me no reason to be suspicious of you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t suspect. I want you to know, I won’t hesitate to kill you, Adaar, if you show any signs of defying the Inquisition.”

That’s what this was about? “I’ll make your job easy then because I have no plans on betraying these people. I admire what’s being done here and my men and I want to do our part.” 

“See you say that, but you don’t really expect me to take your word for it, do you?” 

“No.” She quirked a half-smile. “But that’s the fun in it, isn’t it? You get to watch me prove you wrong.” Adaar turned to walk and paused for a moment, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. “Next time you won’t catch me off guard.” 

The Iron Bull laughed, smirking as he watched her ass sway in her casual retreat. “I’m counting on it.”


	2. No Breaks

Blood always smelled. Bitter, sweet, raw; in the end, it rotted and almost dyed her hair if the Vashoth didn’t wash it out fast enough. Eleanor exhaled, squeezing the pinkish water out of her stark white strands. She thanked the Maker for the lukewarm water, raking her fingers through her strands before leaning up and reaching for her towel. 

Eleanor stood in the well-kept bathhouse in Skyhold, drying her hair as her breaths labored. Her mind wasn’t quite there within the walls of the fortress, but still on the battlegrounds. She and the Taam-Kas worked alongside her former party, the Valo-Kas, and the experience had been...taxing. 

Her former boss, Shokrakar, hadn’t changed since Adaar branched off and started her sister company, and for better or for worse, the two had to work together to fend off a series of Red Templars that reared their heads in the Hinterlands and Storm Coast. While it was fairly easy to eradicate the opposing forces, it was difficult working alongside Shokrakar once more. 

Saar, another Tal-Vashoth like her, had had enough of her usual gripes about his hobbies and resided himself to his tent whenever they paused to rest. The Lavellan siblings were wary of the Tal-Vashoth party though Adhal tried to make the best of it with his horrible jokes. Her dwarf tank, Reta, kept to herself while the other Trevelyan in their party, Kelsey, tried to make peace between the two companies. 

Despite the Taam-Kas being a branch under Valo-Kas, they functioned as two individual companies, coming together only when situations are dire. As it were, the threat of the end of the world was indeed a dire situation. 

Still, Adaar couldn’t have been happier to have parted ways and come home, and she had the suspicion that her crew felt the same. 

While using the towel to wipe her horns down, she hummed one of the tunes she heard often in Herald’s Rest, her fingers tenderly wiping the metal around her upward curved horns delicately. She’d washed her body first before her hair, changing into a red blouse and tan pants before shoving her vanilla-tinted boots back on. 

Eleanor double-checked her hair before exhaling and tossing the towel in a bin, brushing her shirt down as she retreated from the bathhouse and out into the courtyard near the stables. As if the Maker heard of her plans to relax, an Inquisition scout approached her and nodded in greeting. “Adaar, if you’ve got a moment.” 

“Of course,” she replied, shelving the idea of a nap. “What can I do for you?” 

“The Inquisitor wishes to speak with you as soon as possible. She’ll be in the war room waiting for you.” 

Already? “Thank you.” The Qunari barely suppressed a sigh as she walked upstairs, passing a glance at one of her party.

Adhal Lavellan was sitting on the railing, raising his eyebrow as the elf twirled an arrow around his fingers. “Eleanor, you should be resting, or punching a wall or something.” He chuckled as he took her tense posture in. “Never mind, you were called?” Adhal was one of the rogues of the Taam-Kas; he was a charmer too, good with both an arrow and his smile. 

His body was lean and thin but he was strong for an archer rogue. His hair was a deep blond; shaggy, with bangs almost covering his left eye. He had red Elven tattoos called vallaslin on his forehead and cheekbones with a wide smile that could light up anyone’s day. The most peculiar of his features, however, was the pair of eyes he bore; red and bright as if he were a demon. 

“It never ends,” she muttered. “Be lucky you don’t answer to Trevelyan directly.” 

“Oh the woes of friendship,” he drawled, placing a hand on his chest as he jerked his head to the left, bright blond hair flying as he gasped. “Forsaking your rest for a beloved friend. Oh, that was good, I should probably pass that on to Varric.” 

Adaar snorted and walked past him. “Continue to joke while I get our next mission.” She chuckled, rolling her eyes at his smirk as she walked up the second set of steps, strolling by the guests and soldiers of the fortress before passing through the doors that led to the war room. Josephine was not sitting at her desk, which meant to Adaar that they had already begun planning.

When she pushed the door in, she was greeted by four familiar faces. She nodded politely as she looked amongst them. “Inquisitor, you asked for me?” 

Aneth Trevelyan turned and smiled softly. “It’s good to see you back in one piece, Adaar. I apologize for calling you so soon.” 

“Par for the course,” she assured her friend, shuffling over to the right of the war table before greeting the council with a soft if tired smile.

Leliana and Josephine had smiled in her direction while Cullen gave a curt tilt of his head. “The Red Templars had been troublesome in those locations, but with them eradicated, we should be able to return the scouts to their posts. You and your men did well.” 

Eleanor crossed her arms as she stared at the markers on the war table. “They were tough but were we tougher. The former company I worked with helped us clear them out faster than we would have alone, so I wouldn’t be so quick to thank me.” 

“You’re a resourceful leader that chose to call upon your former company,” Cullen reminded her. “From what I heard, you hadn’t parted with them kindly.” 

“I did what had to be done,” she stated simply, turning her head at the opening doors.

In walked the Iron Bull, eyepatch and all. “That’s the only way to get things done,” he added, nodding to Adaar before smirking at Trevelyan. “What can I do for you, Boss?” 

The brunette smiled before turning to the table and placing her fingers just above the marker for Hinterlands. “Bull, do you remember when we fought that dragon near the Dusklight camp we fought some weeks ago?” 

“How could I forget?” He took a deep breath and grinned. “I still remember when that beauty almost set Solas on fire.” 

“As do I,” she replied with a small giggle. “He would not stop complaining about the burn on his arm for a few days.” Trevelyan removed her hand from the map. “There’s another dragon that needs to be taken care of, but I have to see to the needs in Val Royeaux.” 

“Ha, you should’ve asked me sooner!” The Iron Bull grinned from ear to ear as he beat his chest one time. “I’ll never turn down an offer to take on a dragon, Boss, just tell me and I’ll be there.” 

Aneth exhaled and nodded. “Good, I am relieved. Cassandra was sent out to the Western Approach with Blackwall to handle issues regarding the Griffon Wing Keep, so I’ll need Adaar to accompany you in killing the dragon in the Emerald Graves. You both will take one of your own to bring with you since we’d rather not cause a big fuss about this.” 

“Excuse me, what?” Eleanor couldn’t keep her lips from moving, staring at the Inquisitor in shock. “You want me to do what now?” 

Aneth looked guilty as she wrung her hands together nervously. “I would never ask you to take on uncertain danger if you couldn’t handle it, Eleanor. You and Bull are two of the strongest in the fortress at the moment and the dragon has caused more destruction than the village can handle right now.”

“I’ve never fought a dragon before,” Eleanor reminded her, forcing her mind to keep cool. “I don’t think-”

“Adaar will be safe with me,” the Iron Bull told Trevelyan, briefly eyeing the Vashoth. “Count on us, Boss.” 

Trevelyan glanced over at Adaar nervously and Eleanor knew she was awaiting validation. Of course; Aneth would never want to put her at risk, not unless it was necessary. Ignoring the shouting in the back of her mind, Eleanor stood straighter and bowed her head. “We’ll take care of it and remove the threat.” 

Her sigh of relief comforted Eleanor some; she didn’t need Aneth thinking of her hesitance in facing a dragon. 

“I am sure we have a few potions that could assist in taking down the dragon,” Leliana offered. “I hear they’re not fond of bees.” 

“Is anyone?” Eleanor pointed out, earning a playful scowl in response. 

“I wish you both well on your journey,” Aneth spoke gently. “Send word if something goes wrong.” 

“Nothing will go wrong,” the Iron Bull replied easily. “Be seeing you, Boss.” After glancing at Adaar again, he turned and left the war room. Sensing that the Inquisitor had nothing else to say, she pressed her arm to her chest and bowed before following the Ben-Hassrath, hurrying her pace only when the doors shut. 

The nerve of that-!

The Qunari paused, staring at his large form ahead of her. She had expected him to be in the main hall, but he was standing in the middle of the hall that led to Josephine’s office, turning his head before facing her entirely. Was he trying to get a read on her by doing this? What was his point?

“I want you to know, I won’t hesitate to kill you, Adaar, if you show any signs of defying the Inquisition.”

Eleanor hadn’t forgotten what he said to her several nights ago. “What was that for?” 

“You’re letting your fear control decisions that could help others,” he replied, “so I made the decision for you.” 

“What part of ‘I’ve never fought a dragon before’ did you miss? If I lose one of my men out there-!”

“You won’t,” he assured her, bristling as if insulted. “I’ve fought dragons before, Adaar; this is not an impossible task and I’ve seen you fight before. You’re more than capable of taking on a dragon.” 

“That wasn’t for you to decide,” she hissed, shaking her head and storming past him. “Hey!” The Iron Bull had gripped just above her wrist to keep her from budging. “Let go, unless you want me to shove you out of the wall.” 

“That’d be a sight to see.” His grip on her was as firm as his stare. “Let me make this clear, Tal-Vashoth.” The way he spoke of her “title” only served to anger her further. “Whether or not we trust each other has nothing to do with killing that dragon. You’re angry at me? Good, keep that anger. Take it out on the beast that swallows and tears apart resources that the village needs to survive. We need to work together on this or someone is going to die.” 

She didn’t want to say he was right. What she wanted to do was see how far she’d get in fighting him before they were stopped. They both knew, however, that fighting him would be useless. She turned around and didn’t fight his pull, taking a deep breath before studying him warily. “Can I trust you to keep my company alive?” 

“You can.” 

If this dragon needed to be annihilated, then she would abide, and put her trust in him and whoever she brought...for now. He’d threatened to kill her and she didn’t take that lightly, even if she gave him no reason to feel that way. All the same, odds were they’d have to head out soon. She tugged her hand again to see if he’d let go this time. He did. 

“I’ll ready one of my men.” 

“Good.” He chuckled and added, “Get a good night’s sleep, Adaar, you’re going to need it.”

How assuring it was to hear that! She didn’t respond to that, leaving him in the hall as she ventured back outside, keeping her posture straight when all she wanted to do was rest. ‘I’ll get over it,’ she decided, venturing outside as the sun had shifted overhead. It was close to evening perhaps?

The Qunari considered her options, unsure of who she wanted to bring with her. They were all strong, yes, but given that she’d never taken on something as big as a damned dragon before, she’d need someone who could back her up, someone who could hit in places Eleanor wouldn’t be able to reach. 

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, she knew just who to pick. 

Eleanor walked halfway down the stairs before glancing over at Adhal’s usual seating place, finding him not there. ‘Of course, he’s not there,’ she thought with annoyance. If he wasn’t in his usual seating area, then where was he? When Adaar reached the bottom of the steps, she caught wind of Adhal’s half-sibling, Ghilas. Rather, Ghilas had seen her and waved her over, smiling as they stopped walking. 

“Aneth era, Adaar. Are you looking for my brother?” Ghilas tilted their head with a secret smile on their face. “He isn’t here; odds are he is mingling with the Tevinter mage.” Ghilas was thinner than their half-brother, with bright pale skin and long brown hair that almost hid their right eye. Like their half-brother, they had vallaslin under their eyes and across their cheekbones, though their forehead was bare and the tint of the “ink” was violet. Like Adhal, Ghilas was playful, though less subtle and blunt than most were used to.

Still, the mage was capable and helped to keep the Taam-Kas on their toes. 

Again? Adaar shook her head and said, “Of course he is. Are you sure he knows what he’s doing with him?” 

“There has never been a man my brother could not handle,” They replied with a cheeky smile. “They should be in the gallery room...which is what I would say if I listened to my brother for once.” They shrugged and crossed their arms. “They’re in the wine cellar. I’d uh...knock first.” Ghilas snorted and walked away, leaving Eleanor to ponder her decision. 

Right...perhaps she would let Adhal finish up before she bothered the elf. Yes, okay. Adaar shook her head free of the unwanted visuals Ghilas had given her, opting on giving what she’d have to do a bit of thought. Fighting a dragon sounded...terrifying. What was she getting herself into?

Would she be alright with the company she was about to keep? Did the Iron Bull plan on killing her this way? Had she done something he deemed suspicious? 

She wasn’t afraid of the Qunari, no, not at all. She was afraid of what he might get away with if he saw her as a threat. Eleanor reached through her blouse, cupping and caressing the necklace around her neck as the old charms clinked together. Maker, she needed to calm down. The dragon, Iron Bull, none of that mattered. 

What mattered was that her friend needed help and she’d be damned if she didn’t help. Her fears would have to be set to the side...for now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a slow burn, leave me alone. Enjoy! :D

**Author's Note:**

> I will be adding more chapters to this later on! *Excited bounce*


End file.
